ISSN: 0973-7510

E-ISSN: 2581-690X

Research Article | Open Access

Wilson Story Venancio1, Juliana Marcolino Gomes2, Andre Shigueyoshi Nakatani2, Mariangela Hungria3 and Ricardo Silva Araujo2

1Departamento de Fitotecnia e Fitossanidade, Universidade Estadual de Ponta Grossa, Praca Santos Andrade 01, Centro, Ponta Grossa, Parana, Brazil, CEP 84010-330.
2Total Biotecnologia Industria e Comercio S/A, Rua Emilio Romani, 1190, Cidade Industrial, Curitiba, Parana, Brazil, CEP 81460-020.
3Embrapa Soja Rodovia Carlos Joדo Strass, Distrito de Warta, Londrina, Parana, CEP 86001-970, Brazil.
J. Pure Appl. Microbiol., 2019, 13 (4): 1941-1952 | Article Number: 5910
https://doi.org/10.22207/JPAM.13.4.06 | © The Author(s). 2019
Received: 12/10/2019 | Accepted: 12/11/2019 | Published: 21/12/2019
Abstract

Lettuce consumption has increased worldwide due to the recognition of its nutritional value and to the consumers’ search for healthier foods. Increased consumption must be coupled with more efficient production, demanding more nutrients. However, the utilization of chemical inputs in horticulture is decreasing, and biological approaches, such as the inoculation with plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB), are becoming more popular. Species of Bacillus have long been known promote the growth of plants, including lettuce, in agricultural soils, but little is known about their potential under Brazilian conditions. We have tested the ability of B. subtilis, B. pumilus, and B. amyloliquefaciens, carried in single or combined pre-commercial inoculants, to act as PGPB for field-grown lettuce plants of cultivar Elisa. In our experiments, the PGPB were challenged to promote plant growth when the recommended dose of nitrogen (N) fertilizer was reduced by 50%. Our results demonstrated that all species, either alone or combined, were able to improve plant vigor, the number of leaves, and the average diameter and weight of the lettuce heads, under the test conditions. Average gains in plant vigor and head weight due to all species were of the order of 50% relative to the control (no N fertilizer) treatment and, in most cases, gains due to the presence of the bacteria were superior to those promoted by the full (100%) N fertilization. This is the first report of positive utilization of pre-commercial products containing Bacillus for lettuce growth in Brazil.

Keywords

Inoculation; seedlings; plant vigor; PGPB; Lactuca sativa L.

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© The Author(s) 2019. Open Access. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License which permits unrestricted use, sharing, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made.